Lading tie fastener



March 4, 1952 OAKLEY 2,587,882

LADING TIE FASTENER Filed July 10, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l N V EN TOR.

March 4, 1952 OAKLEY 2,587,882

LADING TIE FASTENER Filed July 10, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

March 4, 1952 G. F. OAKLEY LADING TIE FASTENER s SheetsSheet 5 Filed July 10, 1950 Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADING TIE FASTENER Gilbert F. Oakley, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Illinois Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 10, 1950, Serial No. 172,851 7 Claims. (01. 105369) My invention relates to means especially intended for fastening lading holding straps or anchoring ties to the walls or bodies of railroad gondola cars and which will comply with current loading rules and eliminate the undesirable, ruinous method of burning slots or holes in the car side wall sheets and the top chord angle, which weaken the car structure and incur time and expense for making repairs which may recur indefinitely.

The invention comtemplates a simple and efficient device which is adapted to be secured to the underside of the bulb angle at the top of the side walls of the car so as to swing outwardly into operative position and to transit the pulling strains and loads to the flanged outer edge of the top chord angle of the car side wall; and which when not in use will automatically return to its normal inoperative position beneath the top horizontal leg or side of the top chord angle.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the upper part and top chord of a gondola type car with my improved anchor or fastener swung outwardly into operative position with portions of the fastening Wires and straps shown in dashdot lines.

} Figure '2 is a top plan view of the structure as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 with a tie strap shown in dash-dot line, as also is the inoperative position of my device.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the fulcrum or car attaching member of my improved fastener.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the fastener or tie anchor member.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view substantially similar to Figure 3, showing a modified form; the section also being taken through the anchor member and fulcrum or attaching strap.

The fastener as exemplified in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, comprises a one-piece link-like member or rectangular shaped skeleton anchor in, with two laterally spaced side pieces or arms II, II, connected at their inner ends by a cylindrical trunnion or axis member I2 shown formed integral with the arms II, II which latter preferably, intermediate their ends, bend or slope downward toward their outer ends, as best seen in Figure 5, and the outer ends terminate in the transverse tie element or strap receiving cross-bar portion l3.

The side arms I I, ll extend slightly beyond the axis or end member l2 and terminate in downwardly curved cam shaped portions 14, which are adapted to effect frictional engagement with the uniler side of the top chord or angle of the car wa l.

The ends of the tie strap receiving cross-bar l 3 extend slightly beyond their juncture with the side arms II and are enlarged to provide the apertured ears or lobes 15, I5, which extend slantingly downward.

The link or anchor member In is adapted to be fulcrumed or hingedly secured to the underside of the horizontal portion 16 of the bulb angle I! of the gondola car by the fulcrum plate or member is shown in Figure 4. The fulcrum memher or rectangular strap, intermediate its ends is bent into semi-circular socket portion I9 adapted to pivotally receive the inner end 12 of the anchor [0. The fulcrum member H3 is formed with a fiat-faced end 20 which fits up flush with the underside of the angle leg or side l-B, of the car bulb angle; and the side edge of the end 20 is recessed at 2| to receive a fillet weld as shown at 22, in Figure 3, so as not to extend into the path of the cam.

The opposite end of the member I 8 (formed to extend into a lower plane than end 20) is formed to provide the shouldered portion 23 and lip portion 24, to fit against the inner side of the flange at the outer end of the bulb angle while the lip 24 extends beneath the flange, With its marginal or distal end preferably secured to the bulb angle by a fillet weld as shown at 25, see Figure 3. The dished part IQ of the bracket or fulcrum plate 18 is formed so as to permit the free swinging of the anchor It; that is to say, permit the anchor to drop from a horizontal position, shown in Figures 1 and 2, to an inoperative or vertical position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, where it will be rearward of the vertical plane of the bulb angle outer edge or flange. In order to hold the anchor in its inoperative or stored position against outward swinging movement and prevent dange ling and clatter against the metal car side wall, I provide the anchor side arms I l, at their inner ends, with the cam portions M, which extend sufliciently beyond the pivoted end of the anchor l0, adapted to frictional engage the horizontal leg or side 16 of the bulb angle in the manner shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, thereby maintaining the vertical position of the anchor; the cam contact being such, however, that it may easily be released upon an outward pull on the free end of the link or anchor.

With the wide bearing between fulcrum memberor bracket l8 and the trunnion or axis portion l2, sidewise movement of the anchor Ill is impossible.

The anchor or link so is designed o at least three comparatively wide tension bands or lading tie wires; the outer endbar l3, intermediate the side arms H, H, being intended to receive a tie wire or band, as shown at A in dotted lines Figure l, which would extend directly across the load or commodity and to the end bar l3 of a similar anchor it on the opposite side of the car (it being understood that a number of similar anchors are secured at suitably spaced intervals to both sides of the car); while the openings in the ears or lobes I5 are adapted for bands, wires or other suitable tie elements which are intended to pass diagonally across the car lading as indicated at B in dotted lines in Figure 1.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 3, the pulling loads imposed by the tie means, both A and B, on the anchor ID are transmitted to the depending heavy flange of the top bulb angle of the car, to the underside of the flange by the side arms I l, H of the anchor coming into bearing relation with the underside of the flange as shown in Figure 3, so that the main portion of the strains are transmitted to the heavy rigid top chord of the car.

In order to prevent tearing of the tie straps and to distribute the pull load, I provide the outer cross bar I3 with rounded lower edges and an intermediate bulge as at 26; as also is true of the walls of the openings in the lobes l5, as shown at 21, in Figure 5; the openings 28 through the lobes being elongated and preferably of somewhat L-shape to accommodate tie bands of corn siderable width.

With the compartaively wide fulcrum plate l8 and elongated trunnion member l 2, it is apparent that lateral or sidewise movement of the anchor I0 is impossible, both when in operative position and in inoperative or stored position; and by reason of its formation and pivotal mounting at one end, the anchor, upon release of the tie ele= merits, will automatically swing downwardly into stored position and there be held against swinging movement by the cam surfaces M, It.

My improved tie fastener is formed to enable mounting on the lower side of the horizontal leg of the bulb angle (preferably adjacent a car side post indicated at 29, Figure 3), and hence without connection with the car side wall sheet, but with all pulling strains transmitted to the more rigid top chord of the car which generally is provided with a heavy reenforcing plate as at 30.

In Figure 6, I show a modification wherein the anchor or link 3| which is substantially similar to anchor 10, except for the formation of the inner or trunnion member 32 which is trans versely enlarged to provide a cam-like portion 33 intermediate the side arms 34 which latter are formed to extend beneath and bear upwardly against the downwardly extending flange of the top angle l7.

The outer or lower ends of the arms are united by the tie element receiving cross bar portion [3a, which may be similar to cross-bar [3 in the previously described structure.

In order to provide a proper socket for the cam trunnion member 32, the fulcrum member or hinge strap 35 which is secured, by Welding or otherwise, to the lower side of the horizontal leg or side of the bulb angle ll of the car and to the downwardly presented flange of the bulb angle-is formed to provide an undulated; Q 1 longated socket of irregular formation and greater depth at the outer end to receive the trunnion member 32 when the anchor is in stored or vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6 and allow the cam portion 33 to swing upwardly; the shallow and deeper end of the socket being spaced by a hump 36, formed in the fulcrum or hanger 35, to fit into the shallow part in the side of the trunnion-cam and afford sufiicient bearing when the anchor is in its horizontal position as shown in full lines in Figure 6 and maintain the anchor at the inner end of the socket, while the side arms 34 are in bearing relation with the bottom of the flange of the angle member ll.

When the anchor drops down to its inoperative vertical position the trunnion 32 with its cam will slide off the hump 36 and into the outer deep end of the socket as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6.

What I claim is:

1. A lading tie fastener for a railroad gondola car having walls provided at top with a bulb angle flanged at the outer edge comprising a tie element holding anchor provided at one end with a pivot-forming rod portion and at the otherend with a tie element receiving bar, and a skeleton body portion of predetermined length and connected, respectively, at its ends with theends of said rod and of said bar; and a fulcrum provid ing plate of width approximately the length of said rod and formed intermediate its ends to provide a socket to pivotally receive said rod portion while the ends of said plate are immovably secured to the lower face of the bulb angle oi a railroad gondola car.

2. Alading tie fastener for a railroad gondola car provided with a flanged bulb angle at top of each side wall with one side of the angle extending horizontally outward, comprising an anchor member adapted to be secured to the underside of the bulb angle and provided at its inner end with a transverse pivot-forming rod, with a tie element receiving bar at its outer end and a dennecting portion between the rod and bar portions, said connecting portion being spaced apart at its ends which are connected with the ends of said rod and bar portions into a rigid structure; and a socket providing holding plate adapted to receive the rod portion of the anchor member and to be intimately secured to the underside of the horizontal portion of the bulb angle and to its flange and permit the free end of the anchor member to swing upwardly into bearing relation with the flanged outer edge of the bulb angle.

3. A lading tie fastener for railroad gondola cars provided at top of each side wall with a flanged angle disposed laterally beyond thecar side, comprising an anchor member with an elongated transverse trunnion rod portion at one end, a tie element receiving bar at the other end, the rod portion and bar being united by elongated side arms bent intermediate their 'ends so as to pass beneath and bear upwardly against the flange of the car angle and present said tie element receiving bar beyond the flanged angle; a fulcrum providing member adapted 'to be fixedly secured to the underside of the laterally disposed portion of said car angle and formed to provide a socket for said trunnion rod, said trunnion rod portion of the anchor member having a protruding portion adapted to effect frictional relation with the underside of the car angle when the anchor is in depending inoperative position.

e-A a s tie ies tenerlforrrailro d:sqnqp cars provided at the top edge of the side thereof with a bulb angle secured to and extending laterally outwardly of the car side, an anchor member composed of a pair of spaced side arms, an elongated trunnion rod secured at its ends to the inner ends of said side arms, a fastening element receiving bar secured to the outer ends of said arms, an apertured laterally disposed lobe at the outer ends of the side arms; and fulcrum providing means secured to the underside of the bulb angle arranged to swingingly receive said trunnion rod to permit the anchor member to swing vertically; said side arms being adapted to have upward bearing relation with the outer edge of the bulb angle when the anchor member is swung outwardly into operative position.

5. A lading tie fastener for railroad gondola cars provided at top of each side wall with a flanged bulb angle which extends outwardly beyond the car side walls comprising a link-like anchor member provided at one end with a straight substantially cylindrical transverse rod portion, while the other end is provided with a tie element receiving bar and apertured tie element receiving lobes; and a fulcrum member located on the underside of the bulb angle and bent to provide a socket to receive the rod portion of the anchor member and permit it to oscillate vertically, the ends of the fulcrum member being immovably secured to the underside of the bulb angle; the intermediate body portion of the anchor member being bent downwardl and thence laterally to extend beneath and bear against the bottom of the bulb flange when the anchor member is swung outwardly into operative position.

6. A lading tie fastener for railroad gondola cars provided at top of each side wall with a flanged angle comprising a link-like anchor member provided at one end with an elongated transverse rod portion and a cam portion extending beyond the axis of the rod portion adapted to contact the lower face of said angle, while the other end of the anchor member is provided with a tie element receiving bar and apertured tie element receiving lobes disposed laterally beyond the ends of said bar; and a fulcrum member secured to the underside of said angle, formed to provide a socket to receive said rod portion, formed to oscillatingly hold the anchor member beneath the car angle and cause said cam portion to engage the bottom of the car angle when the anchor member is vertically disposed in inoperative position and permit the body portion of the anchor member to bear upwardly against the bottom of the flange of the car angle when the anchor member is swung outwardly into operative position.

'7. A lading tie fastener secured on the outer face and adjacent the top of the side walls of a railroad gondola car comprising an anchor member provided with a horizontally disposed rod portion and car wall engaging cam-like portion at one end, a tie element-receiving bar portion at the other end and elongated rigid connecting means, the ends whereof are connected, respectively, to said rod portion and to said bar portion; and a fulcrum socket-providing member, intimately secured to the outer face and adjacent the top of the car wall, and formed to provide a transverse channel for receiving said rod portion and to swingingly secure the anchor member to the car wall and cause the cam-like portion to frictionally engage the car wall and thereby hold the anchor member against free swinging movement when it depends in inoperative position.

GILBERT F. OAKLEY.

No references cited. 

